Set a vision for your business

Take the first step toward building your channel into a business by brainstorming what you want your personal brand to stand for. Then write a mission statement and create a framework to help you reach your goals.

Start the business of YOU

Congratulations! You’ve made it this far with your channel and you’re ready to transform it into a brand. It’s a good idea to start by identifying what your brand stands for: your values and mission.

To get started, you could explore what’s important to you and what you’re inspired by. When you create a brand around something meaningful, you’ll be more likely to stay motivated and invest in it long term. Try reviewing a few of your videos, especially the ones you most enjoyed making, and ask yourself, "what’s important to me that I express in my videos?"

Another part of your brand is formed by the community that supports your channel. As you expand your channel into a business, try to keep your community in mind, because they’ll be the first to give their opinion on what they like (and dislike) about the choices you make. They can also help guide you on what direction to take -- so try to stay engaged, ask for their input along the way and listen to what they have to say.

And finally, evaluate where your brand fits into YouTube and the larger media industry. Are there many others like it or are you blazing a new trail? Are you fulfilling a niche or a need on YouTube? A thoughtful look at where you fit into the overall landscape could give you ideas on where your brand could lead and help you describe its value.

Remember, first and foremost, YouTube is about creating the videos you love. So as you invest in yourself with these lessons, don’t stop making great videos!

Tips

Actions you can take:

Make a list of the three things you value or that you're motivated by.

Listen to your audience: what do they love about your brand?

Look at the bigger picture and determine where your brand fits.

Try to sum up in one sentence what your brand stands for and how it stands out from the rest.

See it in action

Hannah started her channel by accident with her first video that led to “My Drunk Kitchen” - a guide to eating, drinking, and going with your gut. Now, her larger brand is called “Harto” and it’s not just a YouTube channel anymore.

Craft your mission

Now that you’ve identified what you stand for, write your brand mission statement. A mission statement is a message that communicates what you want to achieve and where you want to go with your brand.

Typically, missions:

Represent an ideal: they can be used to paint a compelling picture of the future and give you a sense of what’s possible.

Inspire and appeal to others you might work with, or your stakeholders.

Provide a clear guide to decision-making but stay flexible enough for possibilities you can’t account for.

Can be easily explained: try to get through it in two minutes or less.

Think big! Missions can present what you dream of accomplishing, even if it seems unattainable today. And attempt to put it in writing: successful creators have told us that it’s easier to envision a goal once they’ve outlined or put it down on paper.

Tip

Questions you can ask yourself:

What is it you'd really like to achieve, not just for your brand, but for the world?

If you were to accomplish your mission, what would that mean for you, for people like you, for your generation, and for people around the world?

See it in action

Adriene from Yoga with Adriene emphasizes how being your true self is a key part of creating a successful channel.

Make a plan to reach your goals

Just like a storyboard helps you communicate and create the vision for a video, a strategy can help you define, communicate, and organize the vision for your brand, and the steps needed to achieve your goals. While no two paths will be the same, here are some suggested actions you can take:

Get started by considering what key areas you want to focus on: growing your team, expanding your international audience or selling branded merchandise.

Ask yourself: for each goal or key area, what could success look like?

Pair each goal with a bold (or simple!) action that could set it in motion.

Prioritize your goals and then share this list with anyone who is helping you with your brand or channel, or who may be interested in your success.

Get help: do you have anyone in mind that you could partner with to help accomplish each of the steps?